I agree that knowing your market is a tricky part of being an artist. My brother did a community art project in high school one summer and his stuff was sold at the end, and I did remind him that our small midwestern city might not be as into lino-cuts of Bob Marley and robots as he was, even if he was pushing them beyond kittens and teddy bears. There are definitely themes and patterns on that list (and I own an Ashley G original ink drawing on a vintage book page, so I definitely shop within those themes) but sometimes doing what is unique to you will get you noticed because you stand out from the list, or are doing something new. I love the birds and don’t think it’s a trend that will go away quickly, but you never know when you’ll be able to predict the next trend, so you don’t want to get too stuck and be left behind.

Another thing that’s useful on etsy is setting up categories for your shop (and sorry I haven’t clicked over to see if you have) where you can put different series/topics of illustrations, if that’s something you decide to do, so you don’t have to worry about the first page being full of just one thing.

it did not seem as though your comment on my post was critical, just wanted to make sure it was clear I did not pick artists just because they were power-sellers or successful - some as I said had not sold much yet.

But I understand how it might be tempting to look and watch for patterns, although in art as in movies (or books, etc) there is no magic combo, and what might work for some might not work for others since I really believe - and most people do - in doing what you feel like doing, what you are good at and basically what “your thing is”. There is already so much room for improvement and evolution in one’s field.

As for the letters, I also get it that all the photos should be visible on Etsy, and my first thought was to have like 4 listings but that was me not doing my maths properly - and not even thinking about it in the details - for the best thing would than be to have 6 listings with 4 or 5 letters each (A to D, E to H, I to L, M to P, Q to U and V to Z for instance) so that you would actually be able to post a picture for each letter. I have seen people post up to 5 photos per listing so that would make the deal.

And thanks for your nice compliments, it is just that I spend so much time on Etsy, and as an outsider - someone without a shop - I sometimes tend to see what could be improved for someone to get more visibility… And it is also true that I have chosen to dwell on the positive - my blog is really about “oh, gee this thing is awsome, look !” - and constructive criticism will always be directed towards betterment and improvement…

take care,

anne

You win the most thoughtful comment award (x2, including your convo). You have obviously put a lot of thought into what you’re saying and spent quite a lot of time poking around my blog, which I really appreciate. After re-reading my post, I wondered if I seem critical of your 100 Artists list–which I am NOT. I spent a long time looking over the list quite happily, and I noticed that you selected a number of shops that I had never heard of. I can’t imagine how long it took you to put that together!

Your suggestion about limiting the number of alphabet letters is very interesting and not one that I had thought of. I do want to make sure that it is possible for the buyer to see each individual letter, since each one features a different bird or birds. But, all those letters really fill up the shop and I think you’re right that they make a pretty strong visual statement as to what to expect from Paulabirdy.

I am a bit skeptical about offering just one letter with a link to the others, however…Etsy does not allow html links, so it would require the viewer to copy and paste the URL into his/her browser, look at the options, and then come back to make a purchase. This sounds minor, but in my experience requiring the buyer to put extra effort into the buying process is a sizeable turnoff. I think a better option (which you hinted at in your convo) would be to split my shop in two — Paulabirdy for the letters and bird-related items, and PaulaGibbs for the more varied art/illustration. This would give me the advantage of building recognition under my own name (Uncle T, that’s probably your advice as well) but require yet another re-branding and a new round of business cards, etc. I am unfortunately very easily bored (or hard to satisfy) and this is already my 2nd Etsy banner + business card set since I opened shop in October, so I feel as though I need to finally stick with something! But after thinking over this all morning, I think two shops will probably be the best in the long run.

Your critique of the fabric + print cards is also well made…they are based on some handprinted and handsewn cards that I did two years ago, and the real fabric versions were much nicer and more tactile than the laser-printed ones. The cards are also more craftsy and less artsy than my other items (those and some other printed cards on sale), and they stick out like a sore thumb. I plan to have a sale on the ones I have in stock and not order any more.

I really like your idea about trying some more interior design-y drawings, especially since I tend to sketch imaginary bedrooms in my spare time. This sounds silly, but one of my big problems is getting all of the sketches on the same page to turn out well. I tend to have a chair that I really like, a coffee table that’s okay, and a couch that’s terrible. I’m planning to start offering some little Gocco prints of small sketches so that I can isolate the one(s) I like and leave out the rest…but this probably just means that I need to draw more and get better at it. :)

My husband also has some ideas that I want to pursue and I’m working on what will hopefully turn into a children’s book someday, so I feel as though there are a zillion ideas floating around in my head like balloons. But this is good!

Anne, I really appreciate your thoughtful commentary and think that it is very rare for a stranger to write so thorough and helpful a critique of one’s work.

Thank you.

And feel free to keep commenting. :)

Since you mention my post @ “a thing of beauty…”, I think I can comment on a few points here. A lot of interesting things have already been said as regards to your concerns, so I’ll just stick to what has not been said :

I don’t think you should try to list EVERY single letter on your etsy shop. It gives the impression that somehow you specialize in “letters + birds” - which is unfair - but having 2 or 4 listings for instance (letters from A to L and M to Z…) or even better to my mind only one listing where you would tell people they could choose whatever letter they want and have a picture of your “Alphabirdybet” as an example would be enough. You could refer to your flickr where you would have an album with all the letters for example for people to see exactly what they are buying, but really all those letters in your shop give the impression that you found yourself a very tiny “niche” and that you are trying to get the most of it. Also it gives the impression that you only can draw birds, not that it is a choice of yours. It is limiting the way people might look at your art, as if you could only do one or two things, whereas it is clear from your blog you are a very creative person and can do a lot of things and be very good at them.

Although they are not the same things, your alphabet letters basically are just one thing and it makes it look like you’re listing the same print over and over again.

Even if you don’t have more than one page for the moment in your shop, it will be better since people will be more aware of your different styles and of what you have to propose.

I have a lot more to say, and I’m writing to you @ etsy because it will be too long a post here in the comment section, and I apologize if what I have just written seems negative as it is in no way intended to be…

anne